Conduit



sept. 11, 1962 G. J. EVANS ETAL 3,053,564

CONDUIT Filed Oct. 5, 1960 INVENTORS HTTOE/VEY United States Patent 3,053,564 QUNDUIT George Il. Evans, Detroit, and Francis A. Mrclrle, Clarkston, Mich., assignors to General Motors Corporatron, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Get. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 60,612 6 Claims. (Cl. 296-44) This invention relates to conduits and more particularly to conduits for interconnecting a vehicle closure and a support member therefor and providing a housing or passage for a plurality of power lines extending therebetween.

The conduit of this invention is particularly adapted for use with a vehicle support member, such as a door pillar, and a vehicle closure, such as a door, which is swingably mounted on the support member by suitable hinge means for swinging movement between open and closed positions relative thereto. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the conduit is formed of flexible resilient material, such as rubber or plastic, and is of generally L shape, including a pair of legs. The free ends of the legs are adapted to be secured in otset relationship to the hinge pillar face of the door and to the door jamb face of the pillar so as to provide a passage therebetween interconnecting the interior of the door with the interior of the pillar. The tree ends of each leg further includes means for tixedly securing the power lines thereto and means for sealing the interior of the door and of the pillar against the entry of foreign material. The one leg secured to the pillar is of reinforced construction and includes means for stiifening this leg and for holding it in a generally lateral or normal relationship relative to the jamb `face of the pillar and the hinge axis. The other leg secured to the hinge pillar face of the door extends generally parallel and adjacent to this face of the door and twists or rotates about its longitudinal axis, generally parallel to the hinge axis, relative to the one leg and to the door upon opening and closing movement of the door. Thus, upon opening and closing movement .of the door, the power lines extending through the conduit twist or rotate about their own axes rather than -bending or flexing to thereby substantially increase the life of the power lines by decreasing fraying and rubbing to a minimum.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a new and improved conduit for interconnecting a vehicle closure and a support member therefor and -for providing a housing or passage `for a plurality of powerlines extending :between the closure and the support member.

This and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following specication and drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a partial perspective view of a vehicle body having a door and a hinge pillar, with the door being shown in open position, and with a conduit according to this invention being mounted on the door and hinge pillar and providing a passage therebetween for a plurality of power lines;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective View of the conduit;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 3-3 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the reinforcing means of the conduit.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE l of the drawings, a vehicle body includes a conventional hinge pillar itl of hollow construction having a doo-r jamb face i2 A conventional vehicle door 14 of hollow construction is swingably mounted on the pillar lll by suitable hinge Mice means and includes a hinge pillar face i6 which is adapted to be disposed in spaced juxtaposed relationship to the face 12 of the pillar in the closed position of the door. The hinge 4means mount the door on the pillar lll for movement between an open position, as shown, and a closed position, not shown, about `a generally vertically disposed hinge axis.

The face `16 of the door 14 is provided with a generally oval shaped aperture 13 which provides entry to the interior of the door, and the face l0 of the pillar 12 is also provided with a vertically olfset generally circularly shaped aperture 19 which provides entry to the interior of the pillar. These openings are provided lfor the passage of power lines, either electrical, hydraulic, or otherwise, between the interiors of the door and of the pillar. A conduit 20 according to this invention is provided to interconnect the door and the pillar in order to provide a protective passage for these power lines between the door and the pillar, `and also to control the movement of the power lines relative to each other and to the door and pillar during swinging movement of the door i4 relative to the pillar l0.

As can be seen in FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings, the conduit 20 is of flexible resilient material, such as rubber or plastic and the general L shape thereof provides a pair of legs 22 and 24. Each leg is of generally U shaped cross section so as to include one open side. The free end of the leg 24 is joined to a generally oval shaped plug-type annular end portion 26 which provides the self-mounting means for securing the leg 24 Within the opening 18 of the door. The end portion 26 includes a peripheral groove `28 which receives the edge portion of the face lo defining the opening l, as shown in FIG- URE l, and a tapered portion 30 which is located inwardly of the door M and includes an extension or tab T12 terminating in a bead or bulbous shaped lip 34. The free end of the leg 22 is joined to a generally circularly shaped plug-type end portion 36 which includes peripheral groove 38 receiving the edge portion of the face l2 deining the opening i9 therein. A tapered portion itl of the end portion is located inwardly of the pillar lli and includes an extension or tab 42 terminating in a bead or bulbous shaped lip 44. By pushing the tapered portion 30 within the opening i8, the free end of the leg 24 can be secured to the door. Likewise, by pushing the tapered portion `#itl within the opening i9 of the pillar lil, the yfree end of the leg 22 can be secured to the pillar itl.

As shown, the leg 22 includes a metal stiiiener or reinforcement `465 which is embededd therein during the manufacture of the conduit. The stifiener i6 is of the general cross sectional shape of the leg 22 but further includes a rst tab 48 which is embedded within the material of the conduit, yand a second apertured tab Sil which is not embedded within the material of the conduit and which extends generally laterally of the leg 22 as can be seen in FIGURES l `and 2. The tab 50 is adapted to be secured at 52 to the face 12 of pillar lll in order to reinforce and stiften the leg 22 and also to tix and hold the position of this leg generally laterally relative to the -face l2 and generally normal to the vertically disposed hinge axis between the door 14 and the pillar lill.

A plurality of electrical wires 54 are shown as extending through the conduit 20 from the door 16 to the pillar 10. The portions of the wires which pass by the tab 32 are lixedly secured to this tab such as by taping the wires to the tab. Likewise, the portions of the wires which pass by the tab '42 yare secured to this tab such as by taping `or otherwise whereby there is no relative longitudinal movement permitted between the conduit 20 and the wires 54. The lips '34 and 44 of the tabs 32 and 42 3 will act to retain the tape or other securing means in place. The portions of the wires which extend through the leg 22 are held within the leg, since the leg opens downwardly, :by bending the embedded tab 48 laterally to one of the walls of the leg 22, as shown in FlGURES l and 3, so that the wires are retained within the conduit.

As best shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the end portion 426 of leg 24 and the end portion 36 of leg 22 each include a diaphragm 56, with these diaphragms being provided with a cross slit 58 so `as to provide a seal for the interior of the door 14 and `for the interior of the pillar l@ since the conduit 2t) is open on one side thereof, as previously described.

In order to assemble the conduit 20 to the wires S4, the wires are fed through the conduit, the tabs 32 and 42 are then taped or otherwise secured to the wires, and then the free ends of the wires are fed into the door llll and into the pillar it) prior to insertion of the end portions ?.o and 36 into the complementary shaped openings into the door and pillar to snap the grooves 28 and 38 of the end portions into place. Thereafter, the tab 4S is bent laterally to the leg 22 to hold the wires within the leg 22, since this leg opens generally `downwardly of the body, or laterally to the hinge axis, while the leg 24 opens generally longitudinally of the body toward the face lo of door ltd and is disposed generally parallel to the hinge axis.

Upon opening and closing movement of the door 14, the leg 24 will pivot or rotate about the juncture portion 60 between this leg and the leg 22, since the leg 22 extends laterally of the pillar il@ and generally normal to the hinge axis and is also held against movement by the stiffener 45. This movement of the leg 24 about its longitudinal axis will occur about an axis generally parallel :to the door axis of the hinge 14. Since the Wires 54 are xed against longitudinal movement relative to the conduit 2d, the portions of these wires within the leg 24:1 will rota-te with this leg relative to the portions of the wires within leg 22, While both portions of the wires within the legs of the conduit are also free to rotate about their longitudinal axes. Thus the wires will not bend or flex during opening and closing movement of the door, but will rather rotate or twist. This greatly reduces the fraying or rubbing of the wires relative to each other and to the face of the door 16 so that the life of the wires is greatly increased.

Thus, this invention provides a new and improved conduit.

We claim:

1. In combination with a pair of members swingable relative to each other about a hinge axis extending between generally jux-taposed faces thereof, a flexible conduit interconnecting said members for providing a passage therebetween, said conduit being located between said juxtaposed faces and including a pair of legs, one of said legs being disposed generally longitudinally along the face of one of said members and the other of said legs being located generally normal to the face of the other of said members, means securing said legs adjacent the free end thereof to a respective face of each `of said members, means fixing the position of said other leg relative to said other member whereby said one leg twists or rotates about its longitudinal axis relative to said other leg during relative swinging movement of said members, and at least one power conductor extending between said members and disposed within said conduit, the portion of said conductor within said one leg twisting relative to the portion of said conductor within said other leg upon swinging movement of said members and twisting movement of said legs relative to eacn other.

2. In combination with a pair of members swingable relative to each otl er about a hinge axis extending generally parallel to ,iuxtaposed faces thereof, a flexible conduit being located between said juxtaposed faces and interconnecting said members `for providing a passage therebetween, said conduit being of generally L shape and including a pair of legs, each of which has at least one open side, one of said legs being disposed generally longitudinally along the face of one of said members and opening thereto, and the other of said legs being located generally normal to the face of said other member and of said hinge axis, means securing the -free ends of each of said legs to a respective member, means fixing the position of said other leg relative to said other member and hinge axis whereby said one leg twists or rotates about its longitudinal `axis relative to said one member and said other leg during relative swinging movement of said members, and at least one power conductor extending between said members and disposed Within said conduit, the portion of said conductor within said one leg twisting relative to the portion of said conductor within said other leg upon swinging movement of said members and twisting movement of said legs relative to each other.

3. ln combination with a vehicle body including a body support member and a closure member swingably mounted thereon for movement between opened and closed positions about a hinge axis extending generally parallel to juxtaposed faces thereof, a liexible conduit located between said juxtaposed faces and interconnecting said closure and support member for providing a passage therebetween, said conduit being of generally L shape and including a pair of legs, each of said legs having at least one open side, one of said legs being disposed generally parallel to `said hinge axis along the `face of said closure member and opening thereto, and the other of said legs being located generally normal to the face or" said support member and to said hinge axis, means securing the respective free ends of each of said legs to said support member and said closure member, means fixing the position of said other leg rela-tive to said support member and hinge axis whereby said one leg twists or rotates about its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the hinge axis and relative to said closure member during opening and closing movement of said closure member, and at least one power conductor extending between said members and disposed within said conduit, the portion of said conductor Within said one leg twisting relative to the portion of said conductor within said other leg upon swinging movement of said members and twisting movement of said legs relative to each other.

4. In combination with a pair of members swingable relative to each other about a hinge axis extending generally parallel to juxtaposed faces thereof, a tlexible conduit located between said juxtaposed `faces and interconnecting said members for providing ia passage therebetween, said conduit being of generally L shape and including a pair of legs, each of which has at least one open side, one of said legs being disposed generally longitudinally along the face of one of said members and opening thereto, and the other of said legs being located generally normal to the face of said other member and to said hinge axis and opening downwardly of said members, means securing the `free ends of each of said legs to a respective member, means fixing the position of said other leg relative to said other member and hinge axis whereby said one leg twists or rotates about its longitudinal axis relative to said one member and said other leg during relative swinging movement of said members, at least one power conductor extending between said members and disposed within said conduit, the portion of -said conductor within said one leg twisting relative to the portion of said conductor within said other leg upon swinging movement of said members and twisting movement of said legs relative to each other, and means adapted to be positioned across the opening of said other leg to retain said power conductor located therein.

5. In combination with a pair of members swingable relative to each other about a hinge axis extending generally parallel to juxtaposed faces thereof, a tiexible conduit interconnecting said members for providing a passage therebetween, said conduit -being of generally L shape and including a pai-r of legs, each of which has at least one open side, one of said legs being disposed generally longitudinally along the face of one of said members and opening thereto, and the other of said legs being located generally normal to the face of said other member and to said hinge axis, means securing the free ends of each of said -legs to a respective member, and reinforcing means secured to said other leg and including a rst leg adapted to be ysecured to `said other member to x the position of said other leg relative to said other member and hinge axis whereby said one leg twists or rotates about its longitudinal axis relative to said one member land said other leg during relative swinging movement of said members, and a second leg adapted to -be positioned across the opening of said other leg to retain a member located therein.

6. In combination with a pair of members swingable relative to each other about a hinge axis extending between juxtaposed `apertured faces thereof, a conduit interconnecting said members for providing a passage therebetween, said conduit being of generally L shape and including a pair of legs, one of said legs being disposed generally longitudinally along the face of one of said members, and the other of said legs being located generally normal to the face of the other of said members, means securing the free ends of each of said legs to a respective face of said members adjacent said apertures therein, deectable diaphragm means at said free ends to seal said apertures, and means fixing the position of said other leg relative to said other member and hinge axis whereby said one leg twists `or rotates' `about its longitudinal axis relative to said one member and said other leg during relative swinging movement of said members.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,416,118 IParsons Feb. 18, 1947 2,422,984 Rappl June 24, 1947 2,550,021 Rappl Apr. 24, 1951 2,665,414 iHubacker Jan. 5, 1954 2,786,094 Morton Mar. 19, 1957 2,810,114 Shaw Oct. 15, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 592,743 Great Britain Sept. 26, 1947 

